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Northern Ocean Coalition
The Northern Ocean Coalition is a long-deceased nation occupying five large islands in the northern Iron Sea. While little is known of the inhabitants of the islands, brave explorers have made contact with the powerful magical constructs they have left behind, which provide a fascinating insight into such an ancient civilization. Discovery The Northern Ocean Coalition was rediscovered in 2999 by Ravenite explorers investigating the rise of extremist Hextorite fundamentalists outside the traditional borders of the Merrovian Empire. Part of this group's investigation involved determining the cause of shipping losses between Raven and the Caliphate of the Serpent. These losses were determined to be caused by a ship-golem of the Northern Ocean Coalition, a frigate named In Amber Clad. After centuries of misuse and lacking repair, the ship-golem's guiding spirit had gone mad and was attacking any ship, rather than the pirates it had originally been dispatched to exterminate, thousands of years before. Negotiating with the guiding spirits aboard the ship-golem, the explorers were able to travel to In Amber Clad's home port, the long-deserted home of the Northern Ocean Coalition. History The NOC appears to have been a human civilization with an extremely advanced grasp of magic and craftsmanship, far outstripping anything that exists in the world today. What little history can be determined suggests that they came out of the Landspine Mountains shortly before the War of the Gods, being perhaps one of the first groups of humans created. What part they played in that war is unclear, but shortly afterwards their civilization began to collapse. Their culture shifted from one of trade and art to one of maritime warfare, an area where, even long-dead, they remain one of the foremost exemplars. It appears from some records that in about 500 the NOC cities collapsed entirely, possibly the result of civil war. Geography The NOC was spread across five great islands: Sidon, Estron, Woldern, Nesteri and Centrus. Some scholars posit that it is from these ancient names that our Common words for cardinal directions are formed. Estimates from the Raven Explorers Guild suggest that at its height, the great city that forms the heart of Centrus could have held twenty million people. How this people were able to feed themselves remains a mystery. Some archaeological evidence found on Nesteri suggests a limited agriculture, and certainly fishing would have been easy and plentiful. Each of the four surrounding islands also had housing blocks capable of accommodating tremendous quantities of people, and Sidon is also the home of the Naval Yard, a massive, magically-powered construct that can build or repair the ship-golems. The Fleet See ship-golem The Fleet of the Northern Ocean Coalition consists of well over a hundred vessels, which can be divided into a number of classes based on their size and purpose. Current occupants The islands of the NOC are currently occupied only by research teams from the Raven Explorers Guild and the Raven Adventurers Guild, with a small presence from the Merrovian Cartographic Society. These teams are studying the long-dead cities. These teams are based on the large island of Centrus, which can only be safely approached from the west - shoals to the east, icebergs to the north and the still-active defences in the south precluding all other approaches. Category:Countries